First aid training is a great way to improve your knowledge and confidence in basic medical situations. It’s also a great opportunity to make some friends! When you sign up for first aid training, you’ll learn how to recognize and treat common injuries and conditions like burns, choking, and sudden cardiac arrest. You’ll get a first aid certification that you can take with you wherever you go. But first aid isn’t just about learning how to splint a broken arm or how to treat a bloody nose. Knowing the ropes isn’t enough; you have to commit them to memory in the event that you need to use them in real life. There are many common first aid mistakes people make that they should avoid at all costs if they want to be helpful in a time of crisis. Here are some common mistakes people make when first aid situations arise…

Not knowing when to call 9-1-1

911 is a critical line for people who need medical help, and it’s easy to think of it as just for major emergencies. But when you’re at a first aid class, you’ll learn that you should dial 9-1-1 as soon as you feel that you need medical help. Even if you think the injury is minor, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you wait until you’re sure of what you need, you could miss the window that allows you to receive the help you need. If you’re at a first aid training session and you’re not sure if something is serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, it’s better to err on the side of caution and dial 9-1-1.

Trying to perform more complex tasks than necessary

It’s easy to get sucked into a frenzy of activity and start trying to perform complex tasks to try to deal with complex injuries. But first aid training tells you that you only need to do the basics, and that anything complex can wait until professional help arrives. If you’re at a first aid training session and someone has a serious injury, you’re best off keeping them still and calm. You don’t want to cause more damage by trying to move them or apply bandages to their wound. You also don’t want to take their temperature or give them a sip of water, as these things can actually do more harm than good.

Not getting the victim to a safe place

There’s a misconception that if a victim is still conscious, they can be left alone to recover on their own. But in most cases, you should get the injured person to a safe place as soon as possible. This should be the first thing on your checklist if someone is having a medical emergency. For example, if someone is having a seizure, you need to get them to a safe place as soon as possible. If you don’t, you risk them choking on their own saliva and developing aspiration pneumonia. You also don’t want to leave someone in the middle of an accident because you think they’ll be okay to drive home. Accidents can cause long-lasting injuries that require medical attention, and you don’t want to put someone out for nothing.

Not monitoring the condition of the victim and others around them

When you’re at a first aid training session, you’ll be given all sorts of tools to help you monitor the condition of the injured person. You can take their pulse, check their breathing, and other things to make sure they’re still okay. But when you get home and apply what you’ve learned, you have to be diligent about checking the condition of the injured person. You can’t assume that the person who was screaming in agony 10 minutes ago is fine now because you applied a bandage to their wound. It’s better to be overly cautious than to be sorry for overlooking a serious injury.

Trying to use homemade treatments when there are more reliable options available

Sometimes, you might want to use a homemade treatment. But it’s important to remember that they’re not regulated the way that commercial products are. They’re not subject to the same safety tests, and sometimes they can do more harm than good. Some of the more egregious examples of this are drinking alcohol, putting herbs in poultices, and other things that you’d think wouldn’t be that harmful.

Conclusion

The most important thing to remember when using first aid is to keep calm and treat the patient as a person and not a situation. No matter how bad the injury or how panicked you are, you have to remember that there’s no hurry. You want to make sure you’re doing everything correctly and that the patient is treated with respect and dignity. When you’re at a first aid training session, you’ll get the chance to practice these things, so make sure that you go in with an open mind and ready to learn.